The airport, which is home to a runway that supports small jets, cargo aircraft and private planes, is the first local government entity to use recycled glass in its landscaping.

The new landscaping sparkles in sunlight and is more attractive than the gravel it replaced.(Photo: Courtesy)

Doña Ana County International Jetport has a new look. Its gray, bland gravel has been replaced by more attractive landscaping: sparkling brown glass provided by the South Central Solid Waste Authority.

“We were trying to figure out how to landscape around the building, and someone suggested recycled glass,” explained William Provance, airport manager.

The glass — nearly 5 tons of it — comes from glass bottles that have been collected and crushed into small rock-size pieces by the SCSWA.

The airport, which is home to a runway that supports small jets, cargo aircraft and private planes, is the first local government entity to use recycled glass in its landscaping.

“We were happy to assist the county in this,” said Tarkeysha Burton, SCSWA recycling coordinator. “We want people to reduce and reuse, but we also want them to purchase and use recycled content. It’s great when our government entities become examples of the recycling initiative and all it encompasses, and that was one of the key benefits in this project.”

Provance said, “The new landscaping looks nice — much better than the ugly gravel, and we haven’t had to do any upkeep up to this point.”

It took about six months to collect enough glass to cover the area in front of the building, and the result is a brilliant patch of ground that sparkles in the sunlight. Airport maintenance worker Manny Rios installed the glass once there was enough of it to fill the front lot.

The crushed glass is safe to walk on and, as Provance demonstrated, doesn’t cut when scooped gently by hand.

His only concern, he added, is how well the new landscaping will react to more severe weather.

“We haven’t had any strong winds so I don’t know if there will be any effect from that,” Provance said. “We have had rain, and there wasn’t any water lingering, so I think so far it’s been very, very good.”

The rain has helped wash away the bits of paper that remained on the glass cullet from labeling on the bottles.

“Hopefully other facilities within the city and county, such as parks, will be able to partner with us to benefit in the way the jetport has,” Burton added.

Green Connections is submitted by the South Central Solid Waste Authority, managing solid waste, recyclables, and fighting illegal dumping for residents and businesses in the city and county. You can reach the SCSWA at 575-528-3800 or visit www.SCSWA.net